The Value of Compulsory Blood Tests for Alcohol on Road Crash Casualties as a Drunk Driving Countermeasure 860196

At present about 19,000 samples per annum are taken in 160 hospitals and tested in a central forensic laboratory. Some 60 - 70% of driver casualties with an illegal B.A.L. are prosecuted with a successful conviction rate of 85%.

Compulsory blood tests are part of a comprehensive alcohol countermeasures package which, during its operation, has seen a fall in the number of alcohol involved crashes from 50% to 38%.

Since 1974 there has been a fall in the incidence of driver casualties with positive B.A.L. from 25.6% to 16% in 1985 and a fall in illegal B.A.L. from 20.1% to 13% in the same period.

Male driver casualties with illegal B.A.L. outnumber female casualties 3 to 1. Blood tests have indicated the over-representation of young driver casualties and the days of the week and time of day where the percentage of driver casualties with an illegal B.A.L. is highest.